The Harvest at Earth's End

Dedicated to the Student of the Last Days

Vol. 19, July 2021

Featured Article

The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 5, Nebuchadnezzar's Image

I view Nebuchadnezzar's dream differently than Daniel's other visions and those of John the Revelator. Yes, they do have many commonalities, but Nebuchadnezzar's dream was his alone while Daniel's was from his continued search for answers stemming from what he saw in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. John's visions were similar but more far reaching. John saw the whole picture, from beginning to end, while Nebuchadnezzar only received a small portion of it. That small bit of the future led Daniel to seek for more.

In ancient days, the rulers of powerful kingdoms had a court. The main purpose of a king's court was to assist the ruler to administer the affairs of the kingdom, just as bureaucrats function in local, state and federal governments today. However, unlike today, there were also other offices that pagan kings used to advise them on future plans or decrees––these were soothsayers, fortune tellers, and pagan priests. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had such a court.

The Greek historian, Diodorus Siculus (90 BC to 30 BC), describes the court of Nebuchadnezzar this way:

Now the Chaldeans, belonging as they do to the most ancient inhabitants of Babylonia, have about the same positions among the divisions of the state as that occupied by the priests of Egypt; for being assigned to the service of the gods they spend their entire life in study, their greatest renown being in the field of astrology. But they occupy themselves largely with soothsaying as well, making predictions about future events, and in some cases by purifications, in others by sacrifices, and in others by some other charms they attempt to effect the averting of evil things and the fulfilment of the good. They are also skilled in soothsayings by the flight of birds, and they give out interpretations of both dreams and portents. They also show marked ability in making divinations from the observation of the entrails of animals, deeming that in this branch they are eminently successful. (Diodorus of Sicily, translated by C.H. Oldfather, Loeb Classical Library, 2.29.2-3.)

This is with whom the young Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, served with in the Babylonian court. They would have first been assigned menial tasks to work with a more experienced administrator performing duties such as tax collecting, scribe, or administration, until their true abilities were found. Nebuchadnezzar would soon discover Daniel's true gifts...

Read what happens next here.

Update on Books

I joined a great group of writers called the Henderson Writers Group. They have several meetings a week where you can read a few pages and get feedback from experience writers, editors, and literary agents. They have given me valuable advice to improve my writing.

I attended the Las Vegas Writers conference last month and learned a great deal of information on writing and promotion. I pitched my book and received serveral request for the manuscript. We shall see what comes of it.

At the end of July I will be attending the Realm Makers Conference in St Louis. I will pitch my book to two more editors and hopefully get my book professionally published. I'll keep you posted.

JKS

Frequently Asked Questions

Neil form Texas asks: In your article on eschatology you name all of the different viewpoints on end times prophecies but never say which one you follow. Are you a Preterist, Historicist, Futurist, or an Idealist? And where do you see the rapture happening, before or after the tribulation?

See the answer here.

Temple Mount/Haram Al-Sharif

This month I have another map from my book, Half Hour of Silence. It's a map of the Temple Mount or, as the Muslims call it, the Haram al-Sharif. See anything interesting? (Click on it for a larger version)

JK Sellers

To see a full version of the map go Here

Wars and Rumor of Wars.... Matthew 24:6 Prophesies in the News:

"24 hours of war in the Middle East leaves region shaking"

From Jerusalem Post

Islamic Republic of Iran Army soldiers and pilots marching in front of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN

JUNE 26, 2020

"A raid on Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Houthi rebels in Yemen attacking Saudi Arabia, Russia and Turkey squaring off in Libya, the aftermath of airstrikes in Syria and Turkey and Iran coordinating attacks on Kurdish militants all served as a backdrop for an unprecedented 24-hours in the Middle East.

The region is undergoing a half-dozen wars at the same time that pit Iran and its proxies against the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia; and also Iran and Turkey against Kurdish militants; as well as proxy groups in Libya fighting each other and various Syrian groups fighting each other.

Overnight between Thursday and Friday, an unprecedented raid by the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service struck at Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. Iran has accused the US of involvement. The US and Iraq are in the midst of strategic dialogue. There have been calls on the new Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi to crack down on these groups..."

The Earth Shall Reel To and Fro...Isaiah 24:20

Could a close encounter with a black hole cause the earth to "reel to and fro"? In this article scientist speculate that the anomalous readings that indicate a ninth planet, my actually be a black hole:

"Planet Nine may be a black hole the size of a baseball"

Tiny black holes are thought to speckle the universe, and new research posits the solar system may have captured one.

By Jake Parks, Tuesday, October 1, 2019

From Astronomy

"Something strange may be lurking in the outer solar system. The odd orbits of distant space rocks suggest there's a giant, elusive world dubbed Planet Nine waiting out there to be discovered. But now, in a new research paper, a team of scientists suggest something far stranger may be influencing the orbits of these distant worlds. These astronomers say our solar system may be home to one of the earliest black holes in the universe: a primordial black hole.

Over the past few years, astronomers have uncovered about a dozen objects in the distant solar system that defy expectations. In addition to a few other odd attributes, this special subset of icy objects orbiting past Neptune, dubbed Trans-Neptunian Objects, or TNOs, all make their closest approaches to the Sun at about the same spot in space..."

The Third Temple

"In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:" Amos 9:11

"The Stones of Herod's Temple Reveal Temple Mount History"

by Biblical Archaeology Society Staff, March 01, 2017

From, Biblical Archaeology Society

Photo: Leen Ritmeyer, Archaeological Architect.

"Ancient construction techniques evident in the Herodian Temple"

"Building and furnishing the Herodian Temple involved more than stone quarrying and laying, but the stones and foundations of Herod's Temple can give us clues to Temple Mount history.

What ancient construction techniques can be seen on the site of Herod's Temple? What does this tell us about Temple Mount history? In the following article, "Quarrying and Transporting Stones for Herod's Temple Mount," Leen Ritmeyer, a specialist in Temple Mount history, looks at the quarrying effort and expertise evident in the building of the Herodian Temple..."

"History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new." Eccles. 1:9

"The Tytler Cycle Revisited"

by John Eberhard

03/14/09

From CommonSenseGovernment.com

In 2003 I became very interested in a theory developed by Scottish historian Alexander Tytler, and wrote an article on it at the time, which ironically enough is now getting a lot of attention due to being linked to from Wikipedia. Tytler's theory set forth a cycle that every democracy goes through, which goes like this. Tytler said the cycle starts out with a society in bondage. Then it goes in this sequence:

Bondage

Spiritual Faith

Courage

Liberty

Abundance

Selfishness

Complacency

Apathy

Dependence

Then starting over with Bondage..."

I was fascinated with this because to me it seemed to explain what we are going through as a country right now, where people are more interested in how they can somehow soak the system to get their free ride, than building anything. Clearly we are on the left side of this cycle, somewhere in the selfishness, complacency, apathy or dependence side..."

"Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him..." Ezekiel 38:2

"The West should understand that Turkey is different from other rising powers"

BY TARIK OĞUZLU, JUN 27, 2020

From Daily Sabah

"Despite a scaling down in Turkish foreign policy since 2016, particularly in parallel to rising security anxieties at home and due to the worsening security environment in the Middle East, Turkey's growing appetite for international agency and visibility has already passed the point of no return. Even though current economic problems and increasing security anxieties appear to somehow limit Turkey's foreign policy ambitions, many Turkey observers share the view that Turkey has already become a rising power that aspires to play influential roles in its neighborhood and all over the world. Turkey's ongoing activism in Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya as well as the growing appetite to play credible roles in regional and global governance attest to this. Turkey's global activism in the context of defeating COVID-19 is another vindication of its unsaturated ambitions.

Similar to many other middle-level rising powers, Turkey is presumed to be determined to help bring into existence a new world order which would be more representative of the current distribution of power capabilities across the globe as well as reflect its norms and preferences. However, analysts would also do well to highlight that Turkey has long been a member of the Western international community, and Westernization or the Europeanization processes continue to shape Turkey's ongoing identity transformation. Turkey's decadeslong interaction with Western powers within existing international institutions should always be taken into account in assessing how Turkey locates itself in the emerging world order..."

Come, Follow Me,...Matthew 4:19

"Following Jesus Christ"

by Thomas A. Tarrants, III, Director of Ministry, C.S. Lewis Institute

From the Fall 2011 issue of Knowing & Doing

"As Jesus traveled throughout Israel urging people to repent and believe the gospel, "Follow me" was a constant refrain in his message. At the beginning of his ministry, he called his first disciples with the terse command, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." As his ministry progressed, he told the crowds, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34). At the end of his earthly ministry, he recommissioned the repentant Peter with the words, "Follow me" (John 21:19).

Have you ever probed the meaning of this phrase? If not, you should, because it can lead to a profound, transforming change in how you think about and live the Christian life. Perhaps this article can help get you started.

What does it mean to follow Jesus? Following Jesus begins when we respond to his call to repent and believe the gospel. The Good News that God loves us and has taken the initiative to reconcile us to himself by giving his Son to atone for our sins awakens us to God's grace and moves us to want to live for Christ and follow him.

When we turn our attention to what the Bible shows us about how to actually follow Jesus in daily life, two things stand out immediately: understanding and obeying his teaching and following his example. Let's take them in turn..."

Emergency Preparedness

"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear..."

"Preparedness guide to the Marxist revolution"

By Glenn Beck

From glennbeck.com

"If nothing else, 2020 certainly qualifies as an interesting year. As of today, we're officially 50% of the way through, and boy oh boy have we clocked some miles. The president of the united states was impeached by the House. A global pandemic shut down the world's economy (or, more accurately, our governments did that to us) and has killed over 118,000 Americans – thus far. A Minneapolis cop murdered a black man sparking worldwide protests, riots and looting, with hundreds of American businesses being destroyed and millions of Americans taking to the streets in protest of everything from police brutality to systemic cultural racism to income inequality to bronze statues.

Let's be clear, we're facing a purposefully driven Marxist revolution in America right now. Antifa is far better organized, funded and dedicated than the apologists in the mainstream media would have you believe. Antifa members have received combat training in camps in Syria and Iraq, and they are also being supported by anti-American misinformation campaigns by anti-Capitalist support from China and Russia. Their intent is the overthrow of the US Constitution, and they're using the Black Lives Matter protests as cover for their activities.

All this and we still haven't even really kicked off the 2020 election season, which, given our current political and social climate, stands to be one of the most hotly contentious in history..."